


Who Needs Fairy Tales

by Castalie



Series: The Night [5]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Prostitute, Gritty, M/M, Prostitution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-25
Updated: 2011-04-25
Packaged: 2017-10-18 16:00:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/190602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castalie/pseuds/Castalie





	Who Needs Fairy Tales

Jim Ellison didn't believe in fairy tales. He supposed he might have, once upon a time... but if he ever had, it might as well have been in another lifetime. He didn't believe in love at first sight either, or love being a bed of roses. As far as he could tell, love was a battle; you had to fight, and fight again in order to keep things working. Not that it was actually a problem. If there was one thing Jim was good at, it was fighting. When he wanted something, few obstacles could keep him at bay - which one Blair Sandburg was going to realize tonight.

The object of his attention was waiting for him around a corner, as the younger man always did. That in itself warmed Jim as few things did - the knowledge that each time he finished his shift, Blair would be waiting for him.

He pointedly ignored the other workmen around him; they simply ceased to exist for him the minute his shift ended. He purposely advanced toward Blair, who stepped farther back into the shadow, as if he wanted them to be more fully concealed. That suited Jim just fine.

He stopped in front of Blair and, after a few seconds of silence, pressed closer, making the other man move back until he was stopped by the wall. Blair started to smile and he licked his lips invitingly, but his eyes widened a fraction at Jim's next action. Instead of taking another step so that he was finally touching Blair, Jim kept still, never closing the gap between their bodies. Then, still without a word, he slowly reached for Blair's hands and placed them on either side of his lover's own head, squeezing them hard for a second as if to tell the younger man to keep them there. Blair narrowed his eyes at Jim for a second, but chose to follow his companion's lead and stayed silent; he kept his hands up but spread his arms slightly wider, showing Jim he was willing to obey, but that it was on his own terms.

Jim nodded and, his body never touching Blair's, bent his head to kiss his lover, licking his lips and demanding entry. Blair opened his mouth and surrendered to the kiss immediately, eyes closed and body already craving more. He let a moan escape and tried to thrust against his lover, but Jim instantly stopped the kiss and simply straightened, staring at him.

"You asked me what was wrong with me - the other night. Remember?"

Blair nodded but didn't say anything. He felt an instant sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. This was it. Jim was going to end this... this nameless _thing_ they had between them, that Blair couldn't even identify. It, no matter what 'it' was, would be over in a matter of seconds. He might not be able to prevent it, but he would be damned if he was going to help the son of bitch. If Jim wanted to destroy the best thing Blair had ever had in his whole fucking life, he was going to have to _work_ for it, because Blair had no intention of making it easier for the big fucking asshole. He didn't care that neither of them had ever said anything about their... relationship, as fucked up as some people might think it was. He didn't give a damn that the 'L-word' had never touched their lips, because the 'L-word' didn't mean anything anyway. At least, that's what he'd believed until now. Blair didn't fucking care that Jim had never made any promises to him. All he knew was that, abruptly, he was afraid, and he didn't want to hear what Jim was going to say.

Reacting instinctively, he closed himself off. Being afraid was a weakness, and he was anything but weak; he would face Jim and he wouldn't break. It wouldn't be the first punch he had received, be it real or symbolic. His life would continue, no matter what. Blair waited for Jim to say whatever the hell it was he intended to say. His scowl expressed defiance combined with resignation.

"Shit, Chief. This is exactly what's wrong!" And damned if Jim didn't sound angry now.

"What, Ellison?" Blair snapped. "I didn't say a fucking word, did I? I'm just being a good boy and waiting for the lecture." He abruptly realized that his hands were still clasping his head, but now it made him feel stupid. He self-consciously started to lower them.

But Jim had his own hands firmly curled around his wrists and held them in place before Blair could budge. "Don't move, Chief," he hissed.

Blair banged the back of his head against the wall and closed his eyes in frustration, but complied. Some battles were best abandoned. He wouldn't be able to win this one; no need to waste his energy for nothing.

"Fucking tell me what you want, Jim," he whispered. "And let's put the whole thing behind us, all right? No harm no foul." He wasn't pleading. He was not. He never pleaded anymore; pleading got you absolutely nowhere.

"Blair," Jim almost sighed. He kept the distance between them, even though he wanted nothing more than to embrace Blair at this point. But he forced himself to remain still, although he slowly loosened his fingers around Blair's wrists, then gently ran his fingers from the wrist up over the hand, to finally caress the fingers in a soothing, sensual rhythm. He felt the body in front of him relax slightly.

"Listen, Chief, listen good." Jim's gaze roamed over Blair's body. "I see you." He nuzzled his lover's cheek and let his fingers tease the soft skin of Blair's temples, then his wrists again. "I touch you." He bent his head to the younger man's neck and inhaled softy, making the body so near his own shiver. "I smell you." He cocked his head to the side and made a show of focusing on something only he could hear. "I hear you, too. But," he took a step back and broke all physical contact with Blair, "I can't _reach_ you."

Blair had closed his eyes once more at the sensual touch, but now opened them slowly and swallowed, completely lost on the meaning hidden behind Jim's little demonstration.

"Do you hear me, Chief? I do all those things, and I even fuck you - so deep it feels like I'm touching the real you - but it's a lie. I can't _reach_ you. It's like you're hiding behind a fucking chain-link fence. You're there, you allow me close, but you don't let me in."

"That's rich coming from you, Jim." Blair had had enough of obedient stillness and silent listening. "Pot? Meet kettle. I... don't put the blame on me, man. Don't you dare. This... this thing between us... I don't even _know_ what it is, I don't know where we're going, or if we're even going anywhere at all. Don't fucking tell me it's my fault we seem to be stuck!"

"That's not what I'm doing! I'm just telling you I'm tired of feeling like... dammit!" Jim's jaw clenched dangerously. "Would the world come to an end if you stayed the night after we fucked?"

"Would the world come to an end if you actually asked?"

"What the hell do you think I'm doing, Sandburg?" Jim practically growled.

Blair almost smiled. Almost, because he didn't feel totally safe yet. "I mean _before_ , you asshole. You told me you needed your space. That you felt the need to... to be on your own. To feel like things were kept under your control. You said those things, man."

Jim shook his head. "And of course you would zero in on those, wouldn't you? Yes, I fucking need my space, but did I ever make you feel unwelcome?"

"That's not what I'm saying either. Don't put words in my mouth."

"Pot meet kettle? Does it ring a bell?" Jim raised in a hand in surrender. "Look, what I mean is... my space." His look hardened for a second. "No actually, my space is my space; that won't change. But I'd be willing to share. Just... don't expect the worst of me, all right? I don't give a shit if you do that with the rest of the world, but not with me. It pisses me off. Are we clear?"

Blair smiled softly. "Crystal."

"Well... good." Jim pushed his lover more firmly against the wall, pressing his body hard against Blair's, blanketing the smaller man. "Since we're on the same page, what do you say to invading my space tonight?"

Blair's answer was lost as Jim latched onto his lips. Jim captured the bottom lip and sucked on it before kissing him thoroughly, hands running along Blair's sides and coming to a rest on his thighs. To Jim, the moan that came deep from Blair's throat, and Blair's hands tightly gripping his shirt, were response enough. At that moment, he realized that maybe you didn't need to believe in fairy tales to start envisioning a happy ending.

Fin


End file.
